Lead Child Protection Practitioner

Southampton City Council

Southampton

On-site

GBP 52,000 - 59,000

Full time

14 days+

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Benefits offered by this job

Excellent local government pension

Death in service benefit

Generous holiday

Flexible working options

Coaching and mentoring

Health and wellbeing support

Job summary

Southampton City Council’s Southampton Children’s Services is transforming safeguarding with MACPT. The Lead Child Protection Practitioner acts as decision‑maker, guiding safeguarding work across agencies and shaping practice.

You will lead strategy discussions, analyse multi‑agency information, chair conferences, and produce high‑quality assessments, working with Family Help to keep children at the centre.

Qualifications

Experienced registered social worker with significant recent front-line child protection experience.
Values relational practice with families, partners and colleagues.
Extensive experience leading child protection investigations and statutory safeguarding work.
Confident making autonomous decisions in complex, high-risk situations.
Able to engage children, parents and wider family networks with confidence and empathy.
Strong understanding of legislation, Working Together and safeguarding research.

Responsibilities

Lead strategy discussions and oversee and support Section 47 enquiries.
Analyse complex multi-agency information and make evidence-based decisions.
Chair Initial and Review Child Protection Conferences.
Produce high-quality assessments and reports that stand up to scrutiny in child protection and court arenas.
Work alongside Family Help practitioners to keep children at the centre of planning and intervention.
Influence and strengthen multi-agency safeguarding practice across the partnership.
Be part of a highly skilled team redefining child protection practice within Southampton.

Job description

Lead Child Protection Practitioner – Multi-Agency Child Protection Team (MACPT)

Southampton Children's Services

Be part of the future of child protection.

Southampton is transforming the way we safeguard children.

As part of the Families First reforms, we are establishing a new Multi-Agency Child Protection Team (MACPT), bringing together skilled professionals from Children's Services, Police, Health and Education to deliver a more decisive, collaborative and child-centred response when children are at risk of significant harm.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced child protection practitioner to join us as a Lead Child Protection Practitioner, a specialist role at the heart of safeguarding decision-making. You will be one of Southampton's recognised child protection experts, helping shape practice, drive high standards and ensure children receive the timely protection they need.

The Opportunity

This is not a traditional social work role.

As a Lead Child Protection Practitioner, you will be the local authority's decision-maker within the Multi-Agency Child Protection Team, leading and overseeing child protection activity across Southampton.

You will:

Lead strategy discussions and oversee and support Section 47 enquiries.
Analyse complex multi-agency information and make confident, evidence-based decisions.
Chair Initial and Review Child Protection Conferences.
Produce high-quality assessments and reports that stand up to scrutiny in child protection and court arenas.
Work alongside Family Help practitioners to ensure children remain at the centre of planning and intervention.
Influence and strengthen multi-agency safeguarding practice across the partnership.
Be part of a highly skilled team that is redefining child protection practice within Southampton.

This role is for practitioners who enjoy professional challenge, thrive in complex situations and want the opportunity to make decisions that genuinely change children's lives.

About You

You will be an experienced registered social worker with significant recent front-line child protection experience.

We are looking for someone who:

Values relational practice with families, with partners and with colleagues
Has extensive experience leading child protection investigations and statutory safeguarding work.
Is confident making autonomous decisions in complex and high-risk situations.
Can professionally challenge, influence and collaborate with partners.
Brings exceptional analytical skills and sound judgement.
Has a strong understanding of legislation, Working Together and current safeguarding research.
Can engage children, parents and wider family networks with confidence and empathy.
Is committed to achieving the best outcomes for children through purposeful, relationship-based practice.

Most importantly, you will be someone who combines expertise with curiosity, confidence with humility, and challenge with compassion.

Why Southampton?

We know that outstanding child protection relies on outstanding practitioners.

In Southampton, we are investing in our workforce, embedding the Families First approach and building services that place relationships, expertise and multi-agency collaboration at the centre of everything we do.

Joining our new Multi-Agency Child Protection Team means:

Helping shape one of the most significant developments in safeguarding practice.
Working alongside highly skilled professionals from across the partnership.
Having the autonomy and authority to use your expertise.
Being part of a service that values innovation, reflective practice and continuous improvement.
Influencing child protection practice across the whole system.
Making a lasting difference to the lives of Southampton's children and families.

What we can offer you:

Salary: The salary band for this role is £52,413 - £58,865 per annum. The starting salary is £52,413 with annual progression through the salary bands.

Here at SCC we have a range of different benefits, a few examples can be found below.

Excellent local government pension with 15.2% employer contribution
Death in service benefit of x3 salary, and optional salary sacrifice shared cost AVC (additional voluntary contribution)
Generous holiday 25–31 days, based on role and service
Flexible working options (role-dependent)
Family-friendly policies - Maternity, Paternity, Adoption, Shared/Unpaid Parental Leave, Time off for Dependents
Training and development, including coaching and mentoring
Health and wellbeing support - Employee Assistance Programme, Menopause Pledge, Mental Health First Aiders and access to a variety of staff networks
Veteran-friendly employer with the Armed Forces Covenant
Retail discounts and savings through the Southampton City Council benefits platform
Discounted memberships at local sports and fitness centres
Sustainable travel benefits - low emission car scheme, cycle to work, season ticket loans
Employee volunteering scheme with 2 paid days leave to volunteer